One Sunday morning, the preacher noticed little
Alex was staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church.

It was covered with names and small American
flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year-old had been staring
at the plaque for some time, so the preacher walked up, stood beside the
little boy, and said quietly, "Good morning, Alex."

"Good morning, preacher," replied the young
man, still focused on the plaque. "Preacher, what is this?" "Well, son,
it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died while in the service."

Soberly, they stood together, staring at the
large plaque. Little Alex's voice was barely audible when he asked, "Which
service, the 9:45 or the 11:00?"

We can be almost as confused about the church
as this little boy was about those dying in services.

If you go through the yellow pages of the
phone book, you can find a church to teach almost anything you want to
believe. You can find a church to help you express yourself in worship
in almost any way you feel comfortable. A very common call I receive is
people inquiring, "Do you have a contemporary or a traditional worship
service?" I have discovered one thing about answering this question, no
matter how politely you answer, if you don't have the kind of worship service
they are looking for they will not respond positive to your invitation
to them to attend the service.

We have many members of the church of Christ
looking for a worship service that makes them comfortable. They are also
looking for congregations to teach them what they want to be taught.

In consideration of all this, I would like
to ask, "What is the church?" Is it a place? Is it an organization? Is
it a set of doctrines? Is it a particular style of worship? Is it a fellowship
of people? Is it a religion? We may think that every church is made up
of all these things. This is true, but do these things in and of themselves
make us the church of Christ? What actually makes us the church of Christ?
And perhaps the most important question of all is this, "Does what we believe
about the church really make any difference?"

If we want to know what the church is we need
to lay down the yellow pages of our phone books and pick up our Bibles.
The most concise description of the original church is found in the following
verses.

Acts 2:42-47They devoted themselves to
the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous
signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had
everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to
anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the
temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad
and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV)

The Saved Added to the Church

In the last sentence of these verses Luke
writes, "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were
being saved." The King James Version says, "And the Lord added
to the church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:47 KJV) This
one sentence describes the church as those who are being saved. Of course,
in the context of the passage it is understood that they were being saved
from their sins.

Luke reveals that those being added to the
assembly of the saved were those who were called upon to repent of their
sins and to be baptized.

Acts 2:36-39"'Therefore let all Israel
be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord
and Christ.'

"When the people heard this,
they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers,
what shall we do?'

"Peter replied, 'Repent and
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise
is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the
Lord our God will call'" (NIV).

The primary issue with the church of the first
century was salvation from sin. The promise of salvation here in Acts 2
is for all persons for all times. The call that is extended to all is not
to come and join a church so you can be saved; the call is to be saved
so that God can add you to the assembly of the saved. Salvation is found
from sin as we obey Christ's call to repentance, it is then that God adds
us to his church.

The New Testament portrays Christ as head
of his body, which is his church (Ephesians 1:22-23). Then Paul says that
Christ is the savior of the church.

Ephesians 5:23, 25-27"For the husband is the head
of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he
is the Savior.

"Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her
holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to
present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or
any other blemish, but holy and blameless" (NIV).

The church can't save us, but Christ can.
However, this raises a question, "If the church can't save us, is the church
important?" The church is as important as your salvation. If it is important
for you to be saved, then the church is important, for the church is made
up of those who have been saved. To say the church is unimportant would
be the same as saying salvation is unimportant.

It is easy to lose sight of what the church
is today because most want to define the church by a body of doctrines,
a style of worship or a set of rituals. The first church we read of in
Acts was a church the moment the first person was baptized into Christ.
It was a church before it sang its first song of praise to God; it was
a church before it had its first communion. The church came into existence
the moment the first person was baptized into Christ upon his/her repentance
from sin and baptism into Christ. Membership in Christ church is dependent
upon only one thing---you must allow Christ to save you from sin and add
you to the church.

Acts 2:40-41"With many other words he warned
them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.'
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand
were added to their number that day" (NIV).

Church Devoted to Apostle's Teaching

Luke records that the Lord was adding to the
church those who were "being saved." I like the term "being saved," for
it is indicative of a continual action. This makes it clear that those
who became members of Christ's church continued to enhance their lives
by sincerely seeking Christ's will for their lives after baptism.

When you die with Christ in baptism, you are
resurrected to a new live in Christ.

Romans 6:3-4"Or don't you know that all
of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
we too may live a new life" (NIV).

Being saved doesn't stop the moment Christ
adds us to the church. It is true that being saved places us in a state
of grace where our sins are no longer held against us, but grace also holds
us responsible to continue in the teaching of Christ in an attitude of
repentance as we seek to allow Christ to salvage our lives from sin.

That first century church was devoted
to the apostle's teaching. The picture here is that they devoted
themselves to understanding the will of God for themselves. Two many in
the religious world are relying upon what they are told, rather than seeking
to know Christ for themselves.

Those seeking Christ in the first century
were personally searching the scriptures for themselves. We need to know
for ourselves, what others say may be helpful, but we need a personal knowledge
of Christ's will.

Acts 17:10-12"As soon as it was night, the
brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went
to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than
the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many
of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and
many Greek men" (NIV).

A devotion to the apostles teaching went beyond
simply embracing an intellectual knowledge of Christ. The result of their
devotion was that they persevered in or they adhered to the apostles teaching.
They carried out their Christian responsibilities. They did not seek salvation
and then forsake Christ.

Today the word doctrine is used in a technical
sense. It refers to abstract views contained in the Bible. It refers to
a collection of teaching, but in the first century continuing in doctrine
referred to adhering one’s life to teaching of Christ. It meant that they
accepted their Christian duties with extreme devotion.

There is a ministry to be done in setting
forth the teaching of Christ, but there is another ministry that is equally
important, that is living the word.

Acts 6:1-4"In those days when the number
of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against
the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily
distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together
and said, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the
word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from
among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn
this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer
and the ministry of the word'" (NIV).

We must grow in grace and knowledge.

2 Peter 3:17-18"Therefore, dear friends, since
you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried
away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To
him be glory both now and forever! Amen" (NIV).

Church Devoted to Fellowship

The first century Christians was not
only devoted to the word, but they were also devoted to the fellowship
of fellow believers. This idea of fellowship meant a participation
in whatever befell the church. They participated in conversation, in prayers,
in dangers, in sharing of property, as well as breaking of bread. They
were banded together with common interests, with common dangers, with common
conflicts despite their differences in opinions.

Acts 2:43-47All the believers were together
and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they
gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together
in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together
with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all
the people" (NIV).

The first century disciples met together
in the temple. They weren't just there, but they were devoted to
meeting at the temple. As Jews they had been accustomed to meeting at the
temple daily for prayer at nine in the morning and at three in the afternoon.
They did not constantly stay at the temple, but they were there daily.

Can you imagine the commotion at the temple
after Christ death? Christ no doubt was the hottest topic of the day. The
veil of the temple had been torn into at Christ's death. What an opportunity
to tell others about Christ.

Acts 5:12-14The apostles performed many
miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used
to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even
though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and
more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number"
(NIV).

Fellowship went beyond simply meeting for
worship services. "All the believers were together and had everything
in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as
he had need." There was a richness about the first century fellowship
that seems difficult for us to grasp. They fellowshipped at the temple,
from house to house, and from person to person as they sought to help those
in need.

There was a special concern for the
needy.

Acts 4:31-37"After they prayed, the place
where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

"All the believers were one
in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued
to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon
them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time
those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales
and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he
had need.

"Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus,
whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold
a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet"
(NIV).

The phrase "by hook or by crook" is an old
expression that is now seldom used. Its origin goes back to the Middle
Ages when many of the forests belonged to the feudal landlords. The peasants
were not permitted to cut down the trees, but they were free to take for
heating and cooking all the underbrush and twigs they could reach "by hook
or by crook." This meant that whatever could be trimmed with a pruning
hook or pulled down with a shepherd's crook was theirs. Although the landowners
seemed benevolent in allowing this, it actually served their own ends,
for it kept their wooded areas clear of undesirable growth and dead limbs
which needed to be removed anyway. This illustrates the way unregenerate
men often give. They gladly part with the things they don't need and even
bestow favors on others. These gestures may soothe their conscience or
cater to their pride but are contrary to the warmhearted attitude God desires.

Acts 6:1-4"In those days when the number
of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against
the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily
distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together
and said, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the
word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from
among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn
this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer
and the ministry of the word'" (NIV).

Continuing in the apostles’ doctrine
necessitated continually talking to each other about God. It meant
that they continually helped each other. Their fellowship was not broken.
Their motivation for doing so was made possible by a continued focus on
what Christ had done for them. The breaking of bread, or what we call the
Lord’s Supper or communion was the single means to keep them focused.

There was simplicity and a singleness of heart
that ruled as they devoted their lives to each other. Eugene Peterson says
a "Community ... means people who have to learn how to care for each other."

Conclusion:

The invitation Peter gave to sinners on Pentecost
was short and simple.

Acts 2:40-41"With many other words he warned
them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand
were added to their number that day" (NIV).

Although Christ is the Savior of the church,
there is a sense in which you must save yourself. You must accept Christ’s
salvation.

This is something that the church cannot do
for you. The church is made up of only those who are saved, but the church
cannot save you. Christ will save you and add you to the church.